Getting a Clue About the New Fingerprints

[Mental Notes] Also, a sneak peek at the impending Café Calacas

CLUED IN TO THE NEW FINGERPRINTSThere's not much on the walls, and all the merch that isn't CDs or vinyl is nowhere to be found, but if you squint long and hard enough, you can see that the new Fingerprints location near the intersection of Fourth Street and Long Beach Boulevard is going to be an improvement over the cramped quarters of its former Second Street abode.

The new Long Beach digs include a stage that may be permanent, which is where electro/dance/pop trio MEN christened the new building on Feb. 3. The group—led by Le Tigre member JD Samson—performed a 30-minute set for approximately 100 people in celebration of their release of Talk About Body on IAMSOUND Records. A crowd this size would have made a few audience members claustrophobic at the old store, but the new set-up meant everyone had plenty of elbow room.

MEN's preprogrammed music didn't sound as great coming out of Fingerprints' PA as it would a dance club, but as the store just opened, everyone in attendance was willing to cut it some slack. A tweak here and a twist there, and the sound will surely improve.

There's a separate room for vinyl, which is sparse but cool, with posters on a few walls and a painting of Rod Stewart to help create ambiance, but it's the exposed ceiling throughout and brick wall in the room where the stage is that really make the new Fingerprints stand out.

Sure, the new neighborhood ain't as posh as Belmont Shore's Second Street, but Fingerprints need not worry about someone smashing one of its glass windows at night—because no one cares about CDs anymore. From a Feb. 4 Heard Mentality blog post by Ryan Ritchie.

CAFÉ CALACAS COMING TO SANTA ANARudy and Jackie Cordova, the married couple behind the all-things-Mexican "culture, clothing and curios" store Calacas at Fourth and Birch streets in Santa Ana, recently offered the Weekly a sneak peek at their expanded vision for the future: Café Calacas.

A short trip to the vacant space next door in the same historic West End Theater building revealed the coffee shop soon to be. Rudy Cordova outlined where the bar would go and where patrons would sit, and he spoke of his ideas for setting up a modest stage for music and other events. Everything within the space was still far from physically taking shape, but the owners hope that opening day is mere weeks away.

"After moving over to downtown Santa Ana two years ago, we would have events at our store, and people would ask where they could get water, coffee or a bite to eat," Jackie says. "We had first right of refusal on the space next to us, so when it became vacant, we got first dibs on the space."

She says they hope to have the venue open "within another month." The food selections will focus on "fresh fare: fruits, salads, soups, sandwiches, juices, coffee." She adds that they plan to feature bread and pastries from local panaderías.

And what sort of cultura will be on display?

"Art shows, book signings, CD-release parties," Jackie rattles off. "We want to have acoustic performances by local musicians and involve our local high-school students in art exhibits." From a Feb. 7 post by Gabriel San Roman.